Court rejects suspected ritual killer’s plea to visit psychiatrist

A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has rejected an application by a suspected ritual killer, Ifeanyi Dike, to be granted leave to visit a psychiatric hospital for examination and probable treatment.

Dike, who was rearrested in Jos, the Plateau State capital, after escaping from police custody, is currently standing trial for the murder of an eight-year-old girl, Chikamso Nmezuwuba.

The suspect had allegedly removed some vital organs of the girl after she was killed, ostensibly for ritual purpose.

Earlier, the suspect’s counsel, Lezina Amegua, had filed an application, praying the court to grant his client time to visit a psychiatric hospital for examination and treatment.

Amegua said the application was based on the suspicion that his client might have a mental problem because he had been irrational in his statements.

Responding to the application, the trial judge, Justice Adolphos Enebeli, maintained that he would not be swayed by the reason given by Amegua to grant the suspect access to psychiatric examination.

The judge stated that records had shown that the suspect was a student of the University of Port Harcourt before he committed the crime.

He, however, struck out the counsel’s application, describing it as unmeritorious and wasteful.

Justice Enebeli said a person that was insane would not escape from police custody and travel to Plateau State, where he was eventually rearrested.

He declared that the suspect was play-acting so as to avoid trial.

The judge adjourned the case till February 8, 9 and 16, 2018 for the beginning of the trial.

WHO IS A LAWYER? BY: Per NIKI TOBI In his Book: "The Nigerian Lawyer. "Page 5

A lawyer is not a liar. He is a truthful and perfect human being of intelligence, respect, courtesy and candour. A lawyer is not an interloper, intermeddler, confusionist or rambler. A lawyer is a person, who by the sheer dictates of his profession, exposes his services to those in need and in trouble. It is not part of the role of the lawyer to instigate litigation or dispute between parties. He is however prepared to use his expertise of the law to protect and defend a party who runs into some problem or who is troubled by the law. While a lawyer may appear hostile and at times impolite in the course of advocacy in court, particularly during cross examination, he may be as a result of occupation hazard. But the law that he operates does not allow him to play to the gallery. The judge is always there to check any advocate's excesses.